Wrench



A. BQYNTON April 7, 1942.

WRENCH Filed. Jan. 31, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1v, INVE/V r03,

' 734m meme ATTORNEYS 0 IVTO ALEXANDER Patented Apr. 7, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WRENCH Alexander Boynton, San Antonio, Tex.

Application January 31, 1939, Serial No. 253,881

1 Claim.

My invention relates to wrenches, and particularly to pipe wrenches or tongs.

The objects are to provide a wrench that will not mash the pipe, will not score or cut the pipe by embedding teeth as deeply as other wrenches do, will not slip on the pipe, and may be quickly applied or removed for the purpose of making up or breaking out pipe without damaging it.

I attain the foregoing objects by securing a plurality of dogs or shoes with teeth on them between the links of a chain in two parts, each part being adapted to engage partially around the pipe by being mounted in opposition to each other, one piece of the chain being mounted in the handle member of the wrench and the other piece being mounted in a jaw hinged upon the handle member which jaw is adapted to be urged in the direction of th other chain by an arm on the handle, as will more clearly appear from the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top view of the wrench in the open position.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the wrench in the open position.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the wrench in the closed position.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a top view of the wrench closed upon the pipe.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the dogs or shoes and a portion of one of the chains.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the wrench closed upon the pipe.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The handle member I is hinged to jaw 5 by means of pin 6 secured by cotter key I. The handle member is forked into five arms. One of these arms la supports the roller 2 by means of pin 3 secured by cotter key 4. The other four consisting of two pairs of twin arms Ib,,spaced apart as in Figs. 2, 3 and 7, have the two single chains 8 secured upon them by rivets 8b, as appears in Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7. Between the chain rollers or spacers 8a the pipe gripper shoes H) are fitted as appears in Figs. 1, 5 and 6.

The teeth Ilia on the pipe gripper shoes are adapted to engage the pipe I2, Figs. 5 and '7. The openings lllb, Fig. 6, are to receive the assembling wires I I, Figs. 1, 4, and 5, which secure the shoes in position upon the chains. The bent ends Ila of these wires, Figs. 1 and 5, hold the wires in place. All of the pipe gripper shoes are similarly placed and secured in place.

The jaw 5, which may be cast integral with rib 5c and roller track 511, has two arms 5a within opposite ends of which arms the double chain 9 is secured by rivets 9a, Figs. 1, 2 and 4. Within the links of this double chain the pipe gripper shoes III are secured by assembling wires II, as was stated in connection with the similar shoes and wires assembled upon single chains 8. The space lc back of the chains 8 and the similar space 5d back of the double chain 9 are for the evident purpose of enabling the respective chains and pipe gripper shoes to conform to different sizes of pipe.

To apply the wrench, it is opened as in Fig. 1 and placed about the pipe as in Figs. 5 and 7. A quick clockwise movement of the handle will force the roller 2 to travel to the left upon the roller track band 5b. This movement urges the opposing chains 8 and 9 together and, of course,

causes the teeth I!) to engage the pipe l2. In this engagement it will be observed that each unit of the pipe gripper shoes will contact the pipe, as appears in Fig. 5. The bevels 10c, Figs. 5 and 6, enable the pipe gripper shoes to conform to any position which the chain may assume about pipe of different sizes. The hollow space Id, Figs. 1 and 5, provides that the jaw 5 may be urged by roller 3 to engage the wrench upon very small pipe. Likewise, the distance that the roller is engaged over the jaw shows that the wrench may also be engaged over much larger pipe than shown, it being evident that the roller 3 engaged anywhere upon track 55 will close the jaw 5 upon the pipe, because the angle between arm la and a line tangent to roller track band 5b at the point where the roller 2 first contacts this band as the handle member I is moved clockwise toward it, is such that the roller wheel will always urge the pipe gripper shoes together, as is apparent in Fig. 5.

It is obvious that mechanical changes and adaptations may be made in the structure, and that equivalents may be substituted for the parts shown; and I reserve the right to make such mechanical changes, substitutions, and adaptations within the scope of the invention as comprehended by the stated objects and appended claim.

I claim:

A wrench comprising a forked handle member, a roller on one fork thereof, a jaw hinged upon the other fork, a pair of opposed chain hitch arms in said jaw, a double chain having its ends connected to said arms, two pairs of opposed spaced chain hitch arms in the handle member, a loose single chain connected to each pair of able to pipes of different diameters, and a track on said jaw adapted to be engaged by said roller to urge said gripper shoes into conforming engagement with a pipe when the handle is rotat- 5 ably urged in the direction of said roller.

ALEXANDER BOYNTON. 

